Attorney General Martha Coakley's office is investigating American Career Institute and urging students harmed by its abrupt closing Wednesday to reach out to her office.

ACI, a for-profit school, has five job-training centers in Massachusetts, including one in Framingham. Coakley's office urges students of the school to take steps to protect themselves, including by canceling any automatic payments to the school and saving all related documents and paperwork.

ACI students can call the AG's Public Inquiry and Assistance Center's Consumer Hotline for assistance at 617-727-8400. The hotline is staffed weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. by trained information specialists. Students can also file an e-complaint at https://www.eform.ago.state.ma.us/ago_eforms/forms/piac_ecomplaint.action.

"Our office is working to protect students who find themselves in this circumstance with seemingly no advance warning," Coakley said. "We urge students to contact our office if they were harmed by this closure."

ACI employees who believe their rights have been violated are also urged to call the Attorney General's Fair Labor Hotline at 617-727-3465 or file a wage complaint at http://www.mass.gov/ago/doing-business-in-massachusetts/labor-laws-and-public-construction/file-a-wage-complaint.html.

The state Office of Consumer Affairs also issued a statement on ACI Thursday, saying the department was working to sort out the situation for students.

"We have preliminary information at this point and are working expeditiously to get students placed in teach-out programs and to resolve financing issues," said Consumer Affairs Undersecretary Barbara Anthony. "We are very troubled by the abrupt closing, the apparent lack of notice, and the ramifications for students; we are committed to getting to the bottom of this."

According to the notice from Consumer Affairs, 1,400 students at the school’s five locations were affected by the closure.

Officials from Consumer Affairs and the state Division of Professional Licensure said they were working to get "teach-out" agreements with other area training schools, as well as reimbursement options for courses paid for but not yet taken.

Consumer Affairs advised students who have paid for courses not yet taken to immediately contact their student loan lender if applicable and request a non-interest bearing administrative forbearance until claims with the school can be settled. Students who paid by check should stop payment if possible or obtain a copy and students who paid with a credit card are urged contact their credit card company immediately.

Students who were affected by the closure can call the Division of Professional Licensure at 617-727-6917 for more information.